Changes in the behavior of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles during cellular uptake detected by magnetic particle spectroscopy

Cell-labeling with very small superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (VSOP) for MRI cell tracking requires methods for reliably assessment of labeling efficacy prior to the in-vivo application. Magnetic particle spectroscopy (MPS) enables sensitive and specific detection of nanoparticles in biological systems. Here, it has been used to quantify the cellular uptake of iron oxide nanoparticles. Furthermore, magnetic changes in the MPS spectra during cellular uptake were correlated with cellular nanoparticle processing.